The decision was allegedly made during a closed-door meeting of Russia’s Security Council, with officials pushing to abandon the informal ban on targeting Kyiv’s political and military leadership

Russia has reportedly decided to abandon its informal prohibition on targeting Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and the country’s senior political and military leadership. The shift was allegedly approved during a closed-door meeting of the Russian Security Council chaired by Vladimir Putin, where security officials called for an end to the restrictions that had previously kept Kyiv’s top leadership off Moscow’s target list.

The proposed change would mark a significant escalation in the Kremlin’s approach to the war. Rather than focusing exclusively on military infrastructure and strategic facilities, Russia would now consider operations aimed directly at the people directing Ukraine’s political and military response.

The immediate trigger is said to be a series of Ukrainian attacks inside Russian territory, particularly in the Leningrad region. The strikes on the port of Ust-Luga have reportedly played a central role in the discussions. One of Russia’s key export hubs on the Baltic Sea, Ust-Luga is strategically important to Moscow’s energy trade and wider commercial interests.

Russian security officials are said to have argued that the existing defensive approach is no longer sufficient. Strengthening protection around individual facilities has not been enough to prevent Ukrainian strikes, while retaliatory attacks on bridges and energy infrastructure have failed to stop Kyiv’s operations against Russian targets. The proposed response would therefore move beyond infrastructure and seek to strike at the leadership responsible for ordering the attacks.

The options under consideration allegedly include targeted operations against bunkers used by senior Ukrainian officials and convoys transporting members of the country’s leadership. Zelensky and the upper ranks of Ukraine’s military command would be among the potential targets. Russian intelligence services and military aviation could play a role in carrying out such operations, including through the use of heavy weapons and missile systems.

The reported discussion would represent a departure from the approach Moscow has followed so far: attacking Ukrainian military capabilities and infrastructure while avoiding direct operations against the country’s highest political and military figures. Russian officials are also said to believe that negotiations with Kyiv cannot produce an agreement as long as the current Ukrainian leadership remains in power.

The Russian Security Council is a consultative body chaired by the president and responsible for shaping strategic decisions on national security. It has 14 permanent members, including Dmitry Medvedev, its deputy chairman, who has repeatedly issued hardline statements against Ukraine. Moscow also maintains that Zelensky is illegitimate because his presidential term has expired, a position the Kremlin has used to challenge his authority in any potential negotiations.

The reported shift places the conflict on a more dangerous trajectory. Ukrainian attacks on Russian territory, particularly against facilities connected to the country’s energy exports, appear to have intensified pressure within Moscow for a response aimed not only at weakening Ukraine’s military capacity but also at its political and military command. Ust-Luga, a critical gateway for Russian exports across the Baltic, has become a focal point in that calculation.